NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Office (Security)

Jane Kennedy: An audit of security procedures in the Northern Ireland Office has been carried out by a team from the Security Service. I expect to see their report very soon. There are no plans to publish the report, since it has always been considered self-defeating to make public details of security measures.

TREASURY

Financial Services Authority

Gordon Brown: The Treasury is advertising this week for a new Chairman of the FSA to succeed Sir Howard Davies.
	The Chairman of the FSA is a critical appointment. The Treasury will be looking for an exceptional individual to lead the FSA in delivering its statutory objectives and a strong, fair and effective regulatory system in the UK.
	As the single financial services regulator in the UK, the scope and responsibilities of the FSA are considerable. The work of the FSA will increase significantly when it takes on responsibility for mortgages and general insurance conduct of business regulation in 2004–05. In light of this, it has been decided that the Chairman should be supported by a separate Chief Executive.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Secondary Education Policy

Charles Clarke: I am publishing a document today that sets out the Government's agenda for secondary education and responds to the discussions that Education Ministers had with over 2000 secondary school headteachers who attended a series of conferences before Christmas. Copies of the document will be placed in the Library later today.
	Our strategy is built around the collaborative system of specialist schools which I extended as an offer to all schools when speaking in the House on 28 November last year. Increasingly groups of specialist schools will be able to provide co-ordinated partnerships across their local areas, sharing the resources and expertise of their various specialisms.
	I am designating today a further 217 schools in the specialist schools programme, the highest ever number, and within the policy document on secondary education I am including information on a number of developments that respond to the autumn conferences:
	There will be two new specialisms in the specialist school programme: music and humanities. The latter will enable schools to select three subjects for their specialist focus built around one of English, history or geography.
	We will also introduce the option of a rural focus within appropriate specialisms.
	Special schools will be given a new opportunity to use their expertise in helping mainstream schools to tackle special needs issues.
	Headteachers at the conferences liked the collaborative messages in the criteria and specification for the 'Advanced' schools programme but did not like the suggestion in the title that there would be a new hierarchy of schools. We have decided that schools successful in their applications to join this programme will not be called 'Advanced' schools. The programme will be renamed the Leading Edge Programme and to emphasise its collaborative nature, the schools themselves will not acquire a new title.
	Our strategy document stresses the central importance of a clear focus on teaching and learning. This is indeed central to the specialist schools programme. We want our policies to energise all of the profession and we want to see better opportunities for teachers to build on their natural enthusiasm for their chosen curriculum subjects. Building on schools' impressive achievements in recent years, we will be seeking to increase the autonomy of school leaders as we trust the professionalism of the workforce to deliver on our ambitious programme for a step change in the standards achieved by secondary education.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Library Services

Tessa Jowell: I am pleased to announce that the Government's new strategic framework for the public library service—"Framework for the Future"—has been published today and copies of the document have been placed in the Libraries of both houses.
	The starting point for the strategy is how best to meet the needs of library users and encourage new users. "Framework for the Future" outlines a range of initiatives designed to promote reading and learning for everyone—giving special attention to those who have literacy problems. It aims to bring access to the digital communications revolution to all and to help communities work together more effectively through better sharing of community information and by creating opportunities for different groups to work together. The new strategy will encourage libraries to build on existing strengths and ensure they position themselves at the heart of the communities they serve.
	Public libraries are a valuable infrastructure, which have the potential to help local authorities deliver across a range of local services. The best libraries are doing so already. By clarifying key priorities and highlighting best practice, "Framework for the Future" provides a focus for future work across the sector. It provides a basis for authorities to prioritise and plan services to meet the needs of citizens—while being flexible enough to respond to local differences.
	The launch of the policy document marks the beginning of the next stage in developing the strategy. We will be working closely with the Advisory Council on Libraries, Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries and leaders in local government, libraries and education to deliver the strategy.
	The document will also be available on the DCMS website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/heritage/pl-framework.html

Television Licence

Tessa Jowell: on 21 February 2000, the Government announced its conclusions on the recommendations of the independent review panel on the future funding of the BBC. In addition to a range of measures designed to improve BBC efficiency and accountability, the Government introduced a new funding formula providing for changes in the licence fee of RPI plus 1.5 per cent. for each year from 2000–01 to 2006–07. This formula will enable the BBC to provide a strong and distinctive schedule of high quality programmes and remain at the forefront of broadcasting technology.
	Application of the RPI figure of 1.7 per cent. for the year to September 2003, plus 1.5 per cent., to the current unrounded licence fees produces new rounded totals of £116.00 for a colour licence and £38.50 for a black and white licence. The necessary regulations to bring these fees into force will be laid before the House in due course. These changes will come into effect from 1 April 2003.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Planning Delivery Grant

Tony McNulty: In July the Deputy Prime Minister announced that we would be making an additional £350m available to local authorities over the period 2003–06 to improve the delivery of planning services. We have now decided the basis on which we will distribute this new Planning Delivery Grant in 2003–04 and will be informing recipients of their allocations.
	The grant is being paid out of additional resources from Spending Review 2002. The aim of the grant is to improve the planning system to ensure the effective delivery of our objectives for sustainable communities which we set out in the document "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future". It is specifically targeted towards meeting the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Public Service Agreements 5 and 6. PSA 5 aims to achieve a better balance between housing availability and demand. PSA 6 requires all authorities to have local development frameworks in place (in accordance with agreed Local Development Schemes) and to meet the Best Value development control targets by the end of 2006–07.
	The amount of grant distributed in 2003–04 is £50 million. It will be paid to local planning authorities, regional planning bodies and the Greater London Authority. The grant is a performance reward grant, and rewards local authorities both for improvement towards and achievement of Best Value development control targets in the period June 2001 to June 2002. Those meeting the development control handling targets both at the start and the end of the year are rewarded separately for consistently high performance. No authority will receive an allocation of less than £75,000 in 2003–04 so that every authority has additional resources to help drive improvement in performance towards the targets. The grant allocations are enhanced for those local authorities within the high housing demand and growth areas identified in the document "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future".
	Regional Planning Bodies were notified in December of their share of the £6 million of existing funding which will, from 2003–04, be paid directly to them. They will also receive a share of the new Planning Delivery Grant for their work on new regional spatial strategies (due to replace regional planning guidance under the Bill) and their review of existing regional planning guidance to take account of the growth area proposals. The Greater London Authority receives grant to assist their related review of elements of the London Plan.
	County Councils will not receive direct resources from the grant. The counties' planning functions are being changed under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill currently before Parliament. Subject to Royal Assent, County Councils will cease to have a duty to prepare structure plans but their resources will not be reduced accordingly. Therefore, while in some cases counties may need to continue with structure plan preparation over the next year and possibly beyond, given the transitional period set out in the Bill, as this function winds down they will be able to take advantage of freed up resources. It will be important that these freed up resources, and the expertise available in county councils, are retained and used to deliver other county planning responsibilities and to undertake their function as statutory consultees in the preparation of regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks. Counties can be engaged to conduct work related to regional spatial strategies on an agency basis.
	The criteria for grant allocations have been designed to drive up performance in the delivery of planning functions, both in respect of development control and plan making. Authorities should be aware that they will need to continue to secure improvements in performance in order to receive money in further years. Grant allocations are not ring-fenced and authorities have complete discretion in the way they spend this money. Areas that authorities may consider concentrating on include: contributing to the preparation of regional planning guidance and the future regional spatial strategies; completing current reviews of existing development plans and preparing for the new system of local development frameworks; better resourcing of IT systems; assistance from consultants; outsourcing of certain planning services; increasing staffing levels; training for staff and councillors; supporting mediation services; encouraging a more diverse planning workforce; bursaries for employees to gain planning qualifications and more use of technical staff.
	The amounts payable are shown in the tables.
	Letters to all Leaders of local and county planning authorities; Chief Executives of the regional planning bodies; and the Mayor of London have been laid in the libries of the House. They set out the details of each recipient's grant.
	We will lay a Special Grant Report shortly.
	
		Table 1: Total Planning Delivery Grant (£) for 2003–04
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Adur 138,189 
			 Allerdale 151,179 
			 Alnwick 75,000 
			 Amber Valley 75,000 
			 Arun 137,500 
			 Ashfield 181,650 
			 Ashford 163,816 
			 Aylesbury Vale 203,206 
			 Babergh 75,000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 150,758 
			 Barnet 458,095 
			 Barnsley 75,000 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 75,000 
			 Basildon 208,346 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 203,463 
			 Bassetlaw 75,000 
			 Bath & North East Somerset UA 133,008 
			 Bedford 203,206 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 75,000 
			 Bexley 236,793 
			 Birmingham 75,000 
			 Blaby 75,000 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 75,000 
			 Blackpool UA 75,000 
			 Blyth Valley 75,000 
			 Bolsover 75,000 
			 Bolton 75,000 
			 Boston 75,000 
			 Bournemouth UA 157,781 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 121,875 
			 Bradford 75,000 
			 Braintree 275,158 
			 Breckland 88,297 
			 Brent 283,364 
			 Brentwood 108,480 
			 Bridgnorth 75,000 
			 Brighton & Hove UA 121,875 
			 Bristol UA 189,258 
			 Broadland 75,000 
			 Broads Authority 75,000 
			 Bromley 241,106 
			 Bromsgrove 189,943 
			 Broxbourne 101,316 
			 Broxtowe 75,000 
			 Burnley 75,000 
			 Bury 125,400 
			 Calderdale 75,000 
			 Cambridge 101,316 
			 Camden 223,407 
			 Cannock Chase 75,000 
			 Canterbury 200,070 
			 Caradon 75,000 
			 Carlisle 75,000 
			 Carrick 97,304 
			 Castle Morpeth 75,000 
			 Castle Point 158,757 
			 Charnwood 94,248 
			 Chelmsford 137,500 
			 Cheltenham 75,000 
			 Cherwell 278,812 
			 Chester 75,000 
			 Chesterfield 75,000 
			 Chester-le-Street 75,000 
			 Chichester 336,900 
			 Chiltern 249,282 
			 Chorley 75,000 
			 Christchurch 75,814 
			 City of London 75,000 
			 Colchester 137,500 
			 Congleton 75,000 
			 Copeland 129,735 
			 Corby 115,100 
			 Cotswold 232,085 
			 Coventry 75,000 
			 Craven 100,555 
			 Crawley 109,091 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 75,000 
			 Croydon 219,955 
			 Dacorum 229,265 
			 Darlington UA 89,770 
			 Dartford 148,191 
			 Dartmoor NP 75,000 
			 Daventry 101,316 
			 Derby UA 134,206 
			 Derbyshire Dales 75,000 
			 Derwentside 75,000 
			 Doncaster 111,189 
			 Dover 109,091 
			 Dudley 207,414 
			 Durham 83,569 
			 Ealing 121,875 
			 Easington 75,000 
			 East Cambridgeshire 126,617 
			 East Devon 75,000 
			 East Dorset 75,000 
			 East Hampshire 272,875 
			 East Hertfordshire 163,542 
			 East Lindsey 75,000 
			 East Northamptonshire 107,684 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 213,853 
			 East Staffordshire 75,000 
			 Eastbourne 109,091 
			 Eastleigh 173,009 
			 Eden 207,267 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 75,000 
			 Elmbridge 254,351 
			 Enfield 186,316 
			 Epping Forest 199,600 
			 Epsom and Ewell 75,000 
			 Erewash 82,836 
			 Exeter 100,000 
			 Exmoor NP 75,000 
			 Fareham 132,211 
			 Fenland 113,199 
			 Forest Heath 75,000 
			 Forest of Dean 75,000 
			 Fylde 75,000 
			 Gateshead 201,962 
			 Gedling 75,000 
			 Gloucester 75,000 
			 Gosport 75,000 
			 Gravesham 124,878 
			 Great Yarmouth 75,000 
			 Greenwich 200,000 
			 Guildford 75,000 
			 Hackney 121,875 
			 Halton UA 160,000 
			 Hambleton 147,416 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 157,020 
			 Harborough 214,061 
			 Haringey 255,952 
			 Harlow 181,028 
			 Harrogate 75,000 
			 Harrow 251,783 
			 Hart 109,091 
			 Hartlepool UA 150,460 
			 Hastings 146,840 
			 Havant 75,000 
			 Havering 171,591 
			 Herefordshire UA 326,145 
			 Hertsmere 75,000 
			 High Peak 75,000 
			 Hillingdon 320,040 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 75,000 
			 Horsham 177,256 
			 Hounslow 404,246 
			 Huntingdonshire 141,866 
			 Hyndburn 97,980 
			 Ipswich 75,000 
			 Isle of Wight UA 166,588 
			 Isles of Scilly 101,965 
			 Islington 237,532 
			 Kennet 75,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 178,865 
			 Kerrier 75,000 
			 Kettering 136,309 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 75,000 
			 Kingston upon Thames 195,300 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull UA 109,981 
			 Kirklees 75,000 
			 Knowsley 165,505 
			 Lake District NP 75,000 
			 Lambeth 330,617 
			 Lancaster 75,000 
			 Leeds 75,000 
			 Leicester UA 119,296 
			 Lewes 75,000 
			 Lewisham 184,375 
			 Lichfield 111,461 
			 Lincoln 104,952 
			 Liverpool 250,982 
			 Luton UA 203,267 
			 Macclesfield 288,603 
			 Maidstone 280,076 
			 Maldon 75,000 
			 Malvern Hills 75,000 
			 Manchester 251,537 
			 Mansfield 85,963 
			 Medway UA 264,462 
			 Melton 138,634 
			 Mendip 75,000 
			 Merton 195,450 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 187,855 
			 Mid Devon 140,627 
			 Mid Suffolk 75,000 
			 Mid Sussex 132,681 
			 Middlesborough UA 158,038 
			 Milton Keynes UA 348,120 
			 Mole Valley 75,000 
			 New Forest 109,091 
			 Newark and Sherwood 77,253 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 75,000 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 164,755 
			 Newham 201,503 
			 North Cornwall 106,149 
			 North Devon 148,241 
			 North Dorset 138,788 
			 North East Derbyshire 112,340 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 75,000 
			 North Hertfordshire 148,191 
			 North Kesteven 75,000 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 99,889 
			 North Norfolk 75,000 
			 North Shropshire 75,000 
			 North Somerset UA 75,000 
			 North Tyneside 75,000 
			 North Warwickshire 75,313 
			 North West Leicestershire 75,000 
			 North Wiltshire 123,305 
			 North Yorkshire Moors NP 75,000 
			 Northampton 169,285 
			 Northumberland NP 75,000 
			 Norwich 75,000 
			 Nottingham UA 75,000 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 75,000 
			 Oadby and Wigston 75,000 
			 Oldham 75,000 
			 Oswestry 75,000 
			 Oxford 174,294 
			 Peak NP 75,000 
			 Pendle 75,000 
			 Penwith 75,000 
			 Peterborough UA 77,843 
			 Plymouth UA 75,000 
			 Poole UA 182,279 
			 Portsmouth UA 137,500 
			 Preston 122,151 
			 Purbeck 75,000 
			 Reading UA 203,648 
			 Redbridge 197,789 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 75,000 
			 Redditch 75,000 
			 Reigate and Banstead 109,091 
			 Restormel 191,936 
			 Ribble Valley 75,000 
			 Richmondshire 87,304 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 299,968 
			 Rochdale 115,401 
			 Rochford 156,036 
			 Rossendale 75,000 
			 Rother 75,000 
			 Rotherham 188,698 
			 Rugby 75,000 
			 Runnymede 139,569 
			 Rushcliffe 75,000 
			 Rushmoor 85,695 
			 Rutland UA 99,039 
			 Ryedale 75,000 
			 Salford 75,000 
			 Salisbury 109,688 
			 Sandwell 75,000 
			 Scarborough 75,000 
			 Sedgefield 103,484 
			 Sedgemoor 75,000 
			 Sefton 286,592 
			 Selby 101,549 
			 Sevenoaks 108,508 
			 Sheffield 75,000 
			 Shepway 109,091 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 75,000 
			 Slough UA 166,681 
			 Solihull 75,000 
			 South Bedfordshire 135,407 
			 South Bucks 75,000 
			 South Cambridgeshire 116,667 
			 South Derbyshire 75,000 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 153,702 
			 South Hampshire 75,000 
			 South Holland 75,000 
			 South Kesteven 112,488 
			 South Lakeland 75,000 
			 South Norfolk 75,000 
			 South Northamptonshire 186,876 
			 South Oxfordshire 137,500 
			 South Ribble 75,000 
			 South Shropshire 115,864 
			 South Somerset 140,728 
			 South Staffordshire 75,000 
			 South Tyneside 85,254 
			 Southampton UA 124,029 
			 Southend on Sea UA 116,667 
			 Southwark 225,790 
			 Spelthorne 75,926 
			 St Albans 109,091 
			 St Edmundsbury 79,076 
			 St Helens 75,000 
			 Stafford 165,858 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 75,000 
			 Stevenage 75,000 
			 Stockport 294,100 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 75,000 
			 Stoke on Trent UA 99,461 
			 Stratford-on-Avon 118,587 
			 Stroud 75,000 
			 Suffolk Coastal 75,000 
			 Sunderland 110,170 
			 Surrey Heath 167,324 
			 Sutton 109,091 
			 Swale 179,167 
			 Swindon UA 75,000 
			 Tameside 75,000 
			 Tamworth 100,000 
			 Tandridge 266,668 
			 Taunton Deane 75,000 
			 Teesdale 75,000 
			 Teignbridge 156,222 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 75,000 
			 Tendring 253,159 
			 Test Valley 295,525 
			 Tewkesbury 125,675 
			 Thanet 118,945 
			 Three Rivers 106,503 
			 Thurrock UA 179,167 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 109,091 
			 Torbay UA 75,000 
			 Torridge 75,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 224,039 
			 Trafford 238,831 
			 Tunbridge Wells 75,000 
			 Tynedale 75,000 
			 Uttlesford 246,201 
			 Vale of White Horse 128,821 
			 Vale Royal 225,115 
			 Wakefield 75,000 
			 Walsall 100,199 
			 Waltham Forest 109,091 
			 Wandsworth 246,513 
			 Wansbeck 75,000 
			 Warrington UA 75,000 
			 Warwick 75,000 
			 Watford 75,000 
			 Waveney 75,000 
			 Waverley 75,000 
			 Wealden 192,964 
			 Wear Valley 75,000 
			 Wellingborough 108,383 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 75,000 
			 West Berkshire UA 268,281 
			 West Devon 77,159 
			 West Dorset 75,000 
			 West Lancashire 75,000 
			 West Lindsey 75,000 
			 West Oxfordshire 121,875 
			 West Somerset 75,000 
			 West Wiltshire 75,000 
			 Westminster 474,679 
			 Weymouth and Portland 75,000 
			 Wigan 210,441 
			 Winchester 297,062 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 227,499 
			 Wirral 267,697 
			 Woking 166,989 
			 Wokingham UA 170,019 
			 Wolverhampton 120,263 
			 Worcester 75,000 
			 Worthing 219,977 
			 Wychavon 254,927 
			 Wycombe 109,091 
			 Wyre 108,801 
			 Wyre Forest 108,105 
			 York UA 75,000 
			 Yorkshire Dales NP 75,000 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Planning Delivery Grant for Regional Planning Bodies and the GLA for 2003–04
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 East Midlands Region Local Government Association 365,000 
			 East of England Local Government Conference 516,000 
			 Greater London Authority 75,000 
			 Regional Assembly for the North East 263,000 
			 North West Regional Assembly 369,000 
			 South East Regional Assembly 581,000 
			 South West Regional Assembly 324,000 
			 West Midlands Local Government Association 332,000 
			 Regional Assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber 325,000

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Personnel Strategy

Lewis Moonie: We are publishing today the new Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy (AFOPS) main document.
	The AFOPS provides a clear sense of direction for Armed Forces personnel policies. It does so by providing a framework of five strategic themes and some 28 personnel strategic guidelines. These cover the full spectrum of the Service personnel policy agenda. The main document also highlights the challenges we will face in attracting and retaining our people for the future.
	AFOPS is intended to deliver real and tangible effect. The new main document looks at the achievements of the past two or so years relating to Service personnel, and further lays out the actions which will be taken forward in the most critical areas during the next two years.
	I have placed copies of the Document in the Library of the House.

Armed Services (Training)

Adam Ingram: I announced on 17 October 2002 that I had commissioned an appraisal of the initial training of recruits across the Armed Services, and I undertook to publish findings. This appraisal was conducted by two senior officers from outside the personnel area and reported to Ministers. The leader of the study was given a wide ranging remit and freedom to pursue the study.
	Overall, the appraisal concluded that the Department can have considerable confidence in the initial training system. It is administered and staffed by professional men and women with a strong sense of duty and purpose, who have proved consistently successful in providing highly effective training for 23,000 recruits a year. Two areas were judged to need addressing. First, the Department as a responsible employer needs to continue to ensure that its young people are managed proficiently, treated fairly and given appropriate levels of professional and personal support. Second, the Department requires more rigorous assurance mechanisms, to provide regular monitoring, to expose risk and to promote best practice. The appraisal concluded that an assurance authority should be established outside the single-service chains of command. Some of these proposals will require extra investment.
	I am today placing in the Library of the House a copy of the appraisal, together with a departmental action plan responding to all of the recommendations and, where action is not already in hand or planned, assigning responsibility for examining the recommendation and taking it forward. The report is also available on the website: www.MOD.UK.